Enjoyable kids' film about 18th century pirates loose in 20th century Nebraska, searching for buried treasure. They get there via a wormhole. Tim Curry is the first to arrive, and befriends a young boy who holds a treasure map inherited from his dad. The first half of the film is Curry and the kid bonding. The second half is a rehash of HOME ALONE, and not a very good rehash, unfortunately. Nevertheless, the smaller tykes should eat this up. Curry is great as Captain Jezebel Jack, and Dee "Cujo" Stone is the kid's mom. Directed by John "Ernest Saves Christmas" Cherry on a minuscule budget with South Africa standing in for Nebraska.
Add a Review
-
xredgarnetx7 October 2007
-
Dash_Rendar9 May 2006Yep, that title pretty much sums it up. Just substitute the burglars with pirates and you have your movie. It's probably too cheesy for most adults to sit through, but I'm sure that most kids will enjoy this film. Especially if they like pirates.
The plot involves a boy by the name of Bobby who spends most of his time imagining himself in different adventures instead of concentrating in the real world. He's left alone at his Nebraska house while his mother and grandfather are away. It is then that a real adventure comes knocking on his door. An infamous pirate by the name of Jezebel Jack (Tim Curry) escapes the clutches of his crew-mates who just declared mutiny on him. Somehow, he winds up in the present day outside of Bobby's house and he struggles to fit in with the modern lifestyle. Meanwhile, Jack's shipmates follow his trail into the modern world and Jack forms an alliance with Bobby to defend his home against Jack's former crew. It's as ridiculous as it sounds. As long as you're able to not take it seriously, there is some fun to be found in this film.
With that being said, it's safe to say that Pirates of the Plain is a carry job by Curry. Without him, the film would have collapsed under its own ridiculousness. He brings credibility to something that otherwise would have failed miserably. I'm convinced that he is incapable of a bad performance. Whether it's big budget pictures, cult classics, Broadway shows, or direct-to-video stuff like this, you can always count on Curry to deliver the goods.
As I stated earlier, Pirates of the Plain is not for everyone and will mostly appeal to children. At the very least however, Curry is always fun to watch and should offer enough reason for the casual viewer to give this one a try. -
Tim Curry, one of my favourite actors, was my main reason for seeing 'Pirates of the Plain', wanting to see as much of his work as possible.
It is his performance as Jezebel Jack that holds 'Pirates of the Plain' together, one that could either have floated or sank depending on execution. Luckily, Curry is simply terrific and clearly having a whale of a time, while not one of his best performances it is a fond reminder as to why he is such a favourite.
Seth Adkins matches him beautifully, with his chemistry with Curry being as prominent as it is it was crucial for it to work and work it does. His character is one that a lot of youngsters can relate to, with his imagination and such, and Adkins gives an adorable, warm-hearted and playful portrayal that contrasts perfectly with Curry's. Their true-to-life and genuine bonding scenes in the first half is where 'Pirates of the Plain' really shines and where most of the fun and charm is.
Dee Wallace and Charles Napier also support them well, in fact there's not much that can be complained about with the cast. The scenery is beautiful and in no way looks cheap, while there is a made-for-TV look to the photography at times it still doesn't cheapen the scenery and the rest of the production values.
'Pirates of the Plain's' script is funny, playful and high in wit, with many scenes that are often humorous and sometimes even hilarious (the best of them with Curry), in the first half, and with its fair share of heart and charm. Pacing is efficient, as is the direction.
Where 'Pirates of the Plain' isn't so good is in some of the second half. This is where things go overboard with the ridiculousness and feels agreed like a tamer and more cartoony re-tread of 'Home Alone', a tone that is too far removed from the bonding between Adkins and Curry in the first half and it just feels like a different film altogether. Some of it this said is creative and entertaining though.
As said, the miniscule (or so it seems) budget does show at times, and while the rest of the pirates are played competently enough they're a bit forgettable and not as fun as Curry.
Overall, didn't expect much but surprising really enjoyed it. Children will absolutely love it, but adults by all means should not find it a long haul. 7/10 Bethany Cox -
Most of the voters gave this movie a 10 so obviously 3.4 average is not correct. The arithmetic mean is 7 which is a much better way to judge the viewer's opinion anyway. The film is really fun, not at all cynical, and highly recommended. Pirates travel through time to our world. Is it in the boys imagination or not? See the film and find out. This tape is not at any video seller yet. I hope it comes out instead of stuck on HBO at 6 in the morning.
It looks like they had a ball making it too. -
lschrupp-329 January 2006Absolute dreck. Like a cross between a retarded "Peter Pan" and a retarded "Home Alone," but not as good as that sounds. The idiotic script might have been partially redeemed by some decent acting, but there is none to be found -- perhaps the director wouldn't tolerate anything convincing. Even Tim Curry manages to turn in a flat, insipid performance, which can possibly be attributed to his utter embarrassment at being in any way involved in such a sub-mediocre project.
Plot synopsis: an oh-so-precious little boy has an overactive imagination about alien invaders, cops and robbers, etc., much to the dismay of his hardworking, farm-running single mother. Daddy ran away and left them both, boo-hoo. The bank wants to foreclose on the mortgage (but for no good reason), Grandpa's trying to help out, the simple folk at the town general store are fond of dear little Bobby -- name a homespun movie cliché dating back to the silent era, and you're likely to find it here. When an eighteenth-century pirate drops from the sky into the middle of the wheat field, is it Bobby's imagination, or is it real? Will it mean disaster for Bobby, or salvation for Mom, Bobby and the farm? Think of the most predictable and hackneyed outcome imaginable, and you'll be on the right track.
Don't waste the kids' time on this. Pop "Toy Story II" or whatever into the DVD player for the 500th time, instead. -
rprotzko16 April 2006Alright, this movie was just about awful. I would have rated it as such, but I had such a good time making fun of "Pirates" I gave it a couple extra stars. The kid is whacked out, makes friends with a douche-bag pirate and they get in all sorts of trouble. When you watch the movie, I think it is best to take on the same schizo affective mentality as the kid in the film. Even better, get plastered. It will make more sense. Only, when you watch Bobby straddling Jezebel Jack on the lazy-boy, what can I say, the disorders surrounding that situation are no laughing matter. Child predation is not acceptable, no matter what century you come from. And kids killing pirates with nail guns? The proper way to kill a pirate is by lynching, everyone knows that. Too much subliminal messaging in this film. I did like the "savage" natives, though. I think the Maybelline company liked them as well.
-
xiridescence23 April 2000Rumours abound that the funds simply weren't there to have this movie released to a major market, and it went straight-to-video for the most part.
I am one of the few lucky Tim Curry fans to have seen "Pirates of the Plain" in an actual theater. In January 2000, USA Film Festival hosted KidFilm 2000. Two movies wrapped up the weekend of kid & family oriented movies: the classic "Wizard of Oz" and the new "Pirates of the Plain".
The audience was made up mainly of boys (go figure), a handful of girls, and a bunch of parents. I can honestly tell you that EVERYONE in the theater was entranced! Pirates is a genuinely exciting film!
A kind of "Home Alone" meets "Muppets Treasure Island", there was something for everyone. The entire audience, including adults, laughed and were amazed throughout the movie.
Nutshell: a young boy's hyper-active imagination, a storm, a ship, an audacious pirate, a fight, and a treasure? AND they save the family farm in one afternoon! Who can beat that?! -
gergle-124 July 2020It has Tim Curry, it's worth watching just for him, right? Wrong. Tim sleepwalks through this. You'd be better off taking a nap yourself. Amuses small boys.
-
rbloodworth-112 December 2005I'm very surprised that this movie has not receive a higher rating from viewers. My family and I purchased this via "On Demand" digital cable, and had never heard of the movie before, but was pleasantly surprised by the great acting and storyline. My children are 3 and 6, and love pirates. So, we talked and laughed about this movie for days afterward.
This is also the best movie that I have ever seen Tim Curry in. He and the young boy are stellar together. The boy is such an amazingly talented young actor as well. This is definitely a kid movie, and the stunt work is amazing. So, if your child loves adventure, this is one of the best movies around to fire their imagination. -
savanna-218 July 2001I just watched this film on a premium channel and agree with the other comments concerning the release and marketing of this film. It's a shame this film only had a limited theatre release, before hitting the video shelves and premium cable channels. The production values are excellent, good writing and fun for adults and children. A true family film. In fact, I don't have children and my boyfriend and I really enjoyed this film. Make an effort to see this film, I don't think you'll be disappointed.
-
goldfinger2a-27 April 2002Hi there...
Pirates of the Plain was on one of my cable channels at 6.30am, and l just left it on while l had my breakfast this morning (8th)April.....
I am glad l did, l am a great fan of Tim Curry, and it had everything that a good film should have, a great family film, and for someone who likes all action films this was a real treat, yes there is action but it is done with family in mind.
It was also nice to see Charles Napier in an non "baddie" role...
If you get a chance to see Pirates of the Plain see it, and enjoy... -
brinkmann-13 August 2006Tim Curry is a fantastic pirate. I was thrilled by the similarities between his earlier performance here and Johnny Depp's in "Pirate of the Caribbean". The characters are very similar and each gives it their own special touch. His performance more than makes up for the small faults in the movie.
Also notice the similarities between DeGroot here and Pintel in PotC and the also other pirates. Note how PotC uses the monkey ("Jack") instead of the witch doctor. It would be interesting to know how much this movie influenced the writers and actors who did PotC. There's not a copyright case here, but there are too many similarities for it to be simply a coincidence. -
filozof10 January 2001I am a program buyer for a TV channel and when I saw the film I never hesitated to acquire it. In our country the film made its premiere on our channel. Though the intro parts are held a bit longer, it has a genuine and entertaining story. Pirates from the past caught in a time-storm come to our time in search for a treasure and a young imaginative boy lives an exciting home alone time. Tim Curry is quite nice as pirate leader Jezebel Jack who will discover that there are treasures in life more valuable than gold.
-
pineconeland18 September 2004I love the film's analogy of the prairie of Nebraska with the sea.
It may not be such a great idea to equate the developers ability to manipulate the laws with that of a pirate to rob and steal, but if then again, if the shoe fits ~ children know truth when they see it.
I loved this movie. It was true to life but extremely creative, and empowering to children who have been abandoned by so called adults who indulge their sensations at the expense of extreme vulnerabilities of mothers and their children.